Gods and Monsters is a 1998 film which recounts the (somewhat fictionalized) last days of the life of troubled film director James Whale, whose homosexuality is a central theme. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar) James Whale ( July 22, 1889 – May 29, 1957) was a British born Film director, best known for his work in the Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. It stars Ian McKellen as Whale, along with Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich, and David Dukes. Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE (born 25 May 1939 is an English stage and screen actor the Brendan James Fraser (born December 3 1968 is a Canadian-American Film and stage actor Lynn Rachel Redgrave, OBE (born 8 March, 1943) is two-time Academy Award -nominated and Golden Globe -winning English Lolita Davidovich (born July 15, 1961) is a Canadian actress. David Coleman Dukes ( June 6, 1945 – October 9, 2000) was an American Character actor. The movie was adapted by Bill Condon (who also directed) from the novel Father of Frankenstein by Christopher Bram. William "Bill" Condon (born October 22, 1955) is an Academy Award -winning American Screenwriter and director. Father of Frankenstein is a 1995 novel by Christopher Bram which speculates on the last days of film director James Whale. Christopher Bram (born 1952 Buffalo New York) is a writer Life and work Bram grew up in Kempsville Virginia (outside Norfolk) It was executive produced by famed British horror novelist Clive Barker. Motion Pictures An executive producer of a Motion picture is typically a producer who is sometimes involved in creative or technical aspects of production Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English author film director and visual artist

The film won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Ian McKellen) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lynn Redgrave). "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent Film awards in the United States Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to recognize Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS

The film features reconstructions of the filming of Bride of Frankenstein, a movie Whale directed. Bride of Frankenstein (advertised as The Bride of Frankenstein) is a science fiction / Horror film. The title comes from a line in Bride of Frankenstein.

Plot summary

A gardener, Clay Boone (Brendan Fraser), starts working on the yard of James Whale (Ian McKellen), hired by Whale's housekeeper Hanna (Lynn Redgrave). James is impressed by Clay and asks him to pose for him. Clay is reluctant at first and balks at taking his shirt off for James, but he does so. James begins sketching and the two begin talking about their lives and finding they have some things in common.

At this time, James has been retired from Hollywood for at least a decade and for a year now has been suffering from strokes. He also suffers through reminiscences of World War I and the making of The Bride of Frankenstein. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

James is visited by a starstruck college student who wishes to interview him. James wants to talk about his childhood, his service in World War I, etc. , but the young man only cares to hear about the Frankenstein films. James will only answer those questions if the young man will gradually undress. The interview is cut short when James faints and his housekeeper gives him a Luminal (phenobarbital) pill. Phenobarbital ( INN) or phenobarbitone (former BAN) is a Barbiturate, first marketed as Luminal by Friedr

Clay begins researching Whale's film career, and is impressed. At his favorite bar, Clay and his friends watch Bride of Frankenstein on TV. His friends laugh, his girlfriend is unimpressed but Clay is interested. His girlfriend speculates that James is just an old fruit pretending to be famous to get into Clay's pants.

Hanna confirms that that Whale is homosexual. At first Clay declines James' offer for another sitting fee, but acquiesces and even talks a little bit about James' homosexuality with him. Clay also confirms that James knows he's straight. Clay storms off angrily when Whale resumes speaking graphically about the young gay men who've posed previously.

Clay returns to work on the garden again and even pose, on the condition that Whale not speak that way again. James invites Clay to a royal party hosted by George Cukor, where the young man who interviewed James earlier has arranged a photo op for James together with Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester. George Dewey Cukor ( July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an Academy Award -winning American Film director. Boris Karloff ( 23 November, &ndash 2 February,) was an English actor who emigrated to Canada in the 1910s Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (born October 28, 1902 - December 26, 1986) was an Oscar -nominated English character However, James feels as out of place at the party as Clay does. It starts raining and the two return to James' residence, from which Hanna has taken the night off.

James persuades Clay to pose for him again. He does so, even volunteering to pose nude. James takes the opportunity to put a gas mask on Clay and touch him. Predictably, Clay gets angry and attacks James. James confesses that this was his plan all along, to use Clay as his means of assisted suicide. Knowing this, Clay refuses to go along with it. Clay puts James to bed and sleeps downstairs.

When Hanna returns the next morning, he tries to explain that it's not what it looks like, but Hanna can't find James in his bedroom, or anywhere in the house. Clay realizes what has happened, and dives into the pool and fishes James out, but he's dead. Hanna commands Clay to leave so he will not be questioned by the police after returning James' body to the pool.

For the epilogue, the film skips ahead about roughly a decade. Clay has a son who enjoys watching Bride of Frankenstein on TV. Clay gives his son one of James's sketches for the Frankenstein monster. Clay's wife or girlfriend asks him to take out the trash. Clay does so and it starts raining, he returns to the house walking like the Frankenstein monster.

Real life basis

James Whale did have several men (and women) pose for him nude, and some of these are shown in the making-of featurette. Several of his paintings were bought by a collector and loaned to the studio for the making of this film.

James Whale did suffer from strokes towards the end of his life and was found dead in his pool. There were rumors that this was a homicide, but the evidence only pointed at suicide. It is a matter of speculation if Whale had any assistance in his suicide.

Whale's household might have hired a male gardener, but what sort of relationship he had with his employer is in the realm of speculation. In the documentary included on the DVD, novelist Christopher Bram admits that the character of Clay Boone is completely fictitious.

In the film, Clay Boone says he is a Marine and has a cigarette lighter with a Marine Corps emblem, of the kind that is popular with real-life Marines. ^[1] Closer to the end, however, he tells James that he did not complete boot camp. In real life, a person who did not complete boot camp in that period would not have been given the title of United States Marine (aside from a few World War II exceptions).

References

External links

• Official site
• Gods and Monsters at the Internet Movie Database
• Gods and Monsters at Rotten Tomatoes